Leavenworth v. Brandon
Leavenworth v. Brandon
Opinion of the Court
Respondents brought this action to recover a balance claimed to be due upon account of certain merchandise sold Kalberg & Brandon, a partnership. Judgment having been rendered as prayed for, Brandon appeals.
He contends that the action is on a number of promissory notes, executed by Kalberg for a debt contracted prior to the formation of the partnership relation, and hence no liability can be enforced against him. Complaint is also made of the ruling of the trial court in striking paragraph 5 of the complaint, upon its own motion, and subsequently reinstating it. The action is plainly one upon an open ac
The fact that the lower court was, during the trial wavering in its opinion, does not destroy its judgment, if at last the right conclusion was reached and incorporated in the judgment. The action being on an open account, the notes were merely evidentiary matter and had no place in the complaint; hence, it could not be error to strike reference to them. And while the insertion of evidentiary matter in a complaint is bad practice and the court should not have again burdened the complaint with it, we do not think that doing so was such a vice as to call for a reversal of the judgment. The evident fact that the trial judge had' difficulty in determining the character of the action, and insisted on changing the complaint to suit his varying views, should not vitiate a judgment which the evidence convinces us was properly entered. The contract of partnership, while entered into subsequent to the commencement of the delivery of the mer
The judgment is affirmed.
Crow, C. J., Parker, Fullerton, and Mount, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- L. W. Leavenworth v. Anton Brandon
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Account, Action of — Pleadings—Complaint—Evidentiary Matter. An action is upon an open account, where the complaint alleged the sale and delivery of merchandise, its value, the amount paid, and the balance due; and the additional allegation of the execution and delivery of promissory notes therefor was evidentiary matter, which it was not error to strike out, nor reversible error to include. Appeal — Review—Harmless Error — Pleadings. Varying views as to the character of an action, in rulings on the pleadings, do not warrant a reversal, where a correct judgment was finally entered. Partnership — -Liability—Commencement of Liability. A partner is liable upon an open account, initiated prior to the formation of the partnership, where the contract of partnership relates back and covers the enterprise for the purpose of which the goods were furnished.